Ben White’s departure from the England camp has been shrouded in mystery this week.
The defender left Qatar during the Group Stages due to what were described as ‘personal reasons’, and it has since been reported by the Daily Star that White left due to a bust-up with Steve Holland.
Gareth Southgate has refused to confirm these rumours, stating in his pre-match press conference that he wouldn’t be revealing any further details.
“As far as I am aware, the article that was written used words like ‘alleged’ and so whoever wrote it didn’t feel strongly enough that it was correct,” Southgate said.
“Ben left for personal reasons. We made that very clear and I think especially in this day and age it is very important that a situation like that is respected.”
Whatever the truth is, it seems as though White didn’t have the best of times out on Qatar.
Indeed, according to ESPN, the Arsenal defender was involved in an incident during a team meeting, with the situation being described as ‘complicated’ by sources according to the American outlet.
ESPN also gathered the feeling towards White in the camp, and it’s fair to say that he isn’t necessarily the most popular player in the England squad.
White had been described as ‘aloof’ by some of his teammates, and ESPN also state that he struggled to integrate into the group.
Sadly, this doesn’t bode well for White’s international future, especially under a manager like Gareth Southgate whose squad selections are hugely influenced by the dynamics within the camp – hence the continued selection of Conor Coady who is known to be a positive dressing room influence and leader within this England squad.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for White and England, but he is certainly a player that is talented enough to play for the Three Lions for years to come.
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